NEW DELHI: Aiming to offer a safe haven, medical treatment, and a chance for adoption, the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) is planning to establish 12 dog shelters—one in each zone of the city. The civic agency said the move will also help tackle the menace of stray dogs by providing them with designated spaces to stay. Notably, the estimated population of stray dogs in the city is nearly 10 lakh, but there is currently no shelter home for them.
Rajpal Singh, a member of the Standing Committee, said a proposal related to the stray dog policy was placed before the panel on Wednesday and was unanimously approved by both the political and executive wings. “Delhi is witnessing a rising number of rabies cases due to an increase in dog bite incidents. Since 90 percent of rabies patients do not survive, the need of the hour is to sterilise 100 percent of stray dogs. NGOs claim to have sterilised 65 percent of dogs, but that figure exists only on paper. The real figure is closer to 30–35 percent. The civic agency spends a whopping `1.20 crore every year on sterilisation, but the results are almost zero on the ground. This is the first time a policy is being shaped to provide relief to the city’s residents,” Singh said.
He added that the policy will ensure active participation from corporation leaders, officials, Resident Welfare Associations (RWAs), and social organisations. “In principle, all stakeholders have agreed to the cause, and the outcome will be visible in the public domain soon,” he said.
Standing Committee Chairman Satya Sharma said the proposal is still in the early stages, but a committee will be formed and meetings will be held to materialise the plan. The corporation aims to ensure 100 percent sterilisation of stray dogs across the city.
Earlier in May, the Delhi HC had directed the government and other authorities to consider formulating a policy for the rehabilitation of stray dogs in the capital. A single-judge bench of Justice Mini Pushkarna had asked the Chief Secretary to convene a meeting of all stakeholders to formulate a policy on the removal, rehabilitation, and institutional sheltering of stray dogs.
Meanwhile, the Standing Committee also cleared a key proposal under the “One Road–One Day” scheme inspired by the Swachh Bharat Mission. Under this plan, one major road in each MCD zone will undergo a complete makeover every day. This will include road repairs, cleaning, footpath improvements, signage repair, streetlight restoration, removal of encroachments, pruning of trees and beautification efforts.